Turbine.



'N. B. WALES & e. B. COLLIER.

TURBINE.

,APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1909.

1,014,350. Patented 'Jan.'9, 1912.

2 $HEETS-SHEET 1.

N. B. WALES & G. 3Q COLLIER. T RBINE. APIWJICATION FILED MAY 2i, 909,

Patented Jan. .9; 1912.

2 SHEETS-$11313! Z.

UNITED. s'ra'rssraruu'r cr mes. I

NATHANIEL B. WALES, or BOSTON," MASSACHUSETTS, AND GUY B. COLLIER, OF KINDERHOOK, NEW YORK; S1111) wALEs AssroNoR T0 SAID COLLIER.

TURBINE.

Specification of Letters Fitefit;

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, NATHANIEL B. WALES and GUY B. Connmn, citizens of the United States, residing at. Boston and Kinderhook, in the counties of Suffolk and Columbia and States of Massachusetts and New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Turbines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to elastic-fluid turbines. and more particularly to means for securing the blades in place.

The object of the present invention is to provide an im roved form of turbine construction in W 11011 the blades are securely held in place, and one which is economical in the cost of construction and maintenance.

It has been proposed to'secure the blades of a turbine in place by means of a retaining band through which the blades are passed, the shanks of the blades being embedded in a mass of metal which is cast about them after the retaining band is in position on the blade support. This form of construction is comparatively expensive, and is objectionable for the reason that it does not permit repairs to be quickly and cheaply made. Accordingly, the present invention contemplates the provision of improved means for spacing and securing the blades in the support, comprising separate spacing blocks or separators located between and fitting the opposing faces of the blade shanks, said shanks and separators being received in a dove-tailedchannel or groove formed in the blade support and securely held therein without the use of a retaining ring.

The invention will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the construction shown therein.

In the drawings, Figure l is a fragmentary central vertical section taken through a row of blades showing one form of construction; Fig. 2, is a fragmentary sectional plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1 with a portion of the shroud broken away; Fig. 8 is a partial side elevation of the rotor showing one form of the channels and the openings through which the blade shanks and spacing blocks are inserted in the channels; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a blade showing the shroud and blade support in section; Fig; 5 is a side elevation of a blade having a modified form of shank; Figs. 6 and 7 are fragmentary sectional elevations showing modified forms of channels and blades mounted therein; Figs. 8 and9 are front elevations of the blades .shown in Figs. 6 and 7 respectively before being driven into the channels; Fig. 10 is a front elevation of one form of spacing block before being driven into the channel and Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of the modification shown in Fig. 7.

In the drawings the blades are shown as mounted upon the rotor of a turbine, but

this is merely for convenience of illustration apart a distance substantially equal to the,

width of the bottom of the dove-tailed groove. It is through these openings that the blade shanks and spacing blocks or separators are inserted, as will be hereinafter explained, and any desired number of these openings may be provided to facili- I tate the assembling of the parts.

The blades 10 are made fromv tubing drawn through a suitably formed die, one end of er. n blade being flared or expanded to form ,a shank 12 which fits the dovetailed groove 2. In the form ofconstruct-ion shown in Figs. 1 and 2 one face 13 of the blade is straight longitudinally its entire length and the other face is curved at the shank as shown at 15. These shanks may be formed by means of a punch and die. so that they will all be uniform in size and shape. The other end of each blade is formed with one or more projections 14 which pass through holes in a shrou 16 and are bent over to secure the shrou in place. may be split as at 17 to facilitate the xpanding or flaring operation. Alternat ng with the blades a... tapered spacing blocks or so arators 20 having them. front and rearaces shaped to fit theopposing faces of the blade shanks, and their edges fitting the sides of the dove-tailed'groove. These blocks may be machined the desired shape to insure the, accurate location of the blades I around the periphery of,the support.

In assembling the blades to be secured in place, the shanks are inserted through t e open1ngs4 and then pushed into the doveta'lled groove with their inner ends restin on the bottom of the groove. Alternating with the blades are the spacing blocks or separators which are similarly introduced 'into the groove. through the openin s.

When the channel has been filled with bla es and blocks, a suitable molten metal 22 such as brass or lead, is poured into each opening to fill the space surrounding each b ock or blade shank which is at the opening, in

order to retain it in place in the support. Obviously other means forsecuring the last block or blade to be entered may be employed. After the blades are thus secured in place in the support, molten metal is poured into each blade to fill its shank, and

if desired, the entire blade may be filled to the shroud to keep out water. This metal may afterward be tamped to spread the shanks to insure intimate contact with the sides of the retaining groove and the spacing blocks. Thus it w1ll be noted that the shanks are firmly locked in the support by engagement with the inclined sides of the dove-tailed groove and the tapered surfaces of the spacing blocks. After the blades have been thus secured to the support, the shroud 16 is placed around the outside, and the projections 14 are bent or headed over so that the blades will be secured at their outer ends to the shroud.

after-chipping or otherwise removin 4 The above method of.construction insures accurate anduniform, spacing of the blades In the modification shown in Fig. 6 the blade support 30- is provided with dovetailed channels 32 having a central ridge 33 which is triangular in cross section. The blade 34 is tubular and may have the same cross section as the blades 10 shown in Fig. 2. it is slotted at 36 and is secured in the dovetailed channel 32 by bein driven against the ridge 33 which sprea s the lower portions 37 of'the blade apartto fill the channel.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7 the blade support "40 is provided with a dovetailed channel 42' having a pair of ridges 43 and 44 formed with outer oblique faces 45' and 46 and opposing substantially parallel faces 48. The blade 49 is slotted at 50 and 51; to correspond. to the vertices of the ridges 43 and 44 respectively.- The blade 49 is driveninto the channel'against. the ridges 43 and 44 which spread the portions 53 and 54 outwardly to fit the sides of the channel 42 while the central portion 55 is held-between the faces 48 of the ridges.

Alternating with'the blades 34 and 49 are tubular separators or spacing blocks= 56. These spacin blocks are slotted at 58 similarly to the lades 34 and 49 according to the form of blade with which they are to be used and are driven into the dove-tailed channels in the same manner as the blades.

The are shaped to fit the opposing faces of .the lade shanks and when drivenyinto positionthey'correctlyspace apart and firmly secure the blades in place in the support. Molten metal 22 as above described may be poured into the blades and spacing blocks and tamped to insure intimate contact bee tween all the parts.

The bladesmay be a filled to the shroud with the molten metal.

to keep out water. After the blades are lace the shroudlfi} is at thus secured in tached as above escribed.

In the modifications. shown in Figs. G an d- 7 the-dove-tailed channels .are continuous and the openings 4 are omitted, since the shanks of the blades in these modifications Z are straight until spread apart by being drivenagainst the ridges in the bottoms of thechannels.

Having set forth the nature and object of the invention, and specifically described one form of turbine in which the invention may be embodied,'what we claim is 1. A turbine, having, in combination, a blade support provided with a roove, hollow blades having their shan s received within the groove, spacing blocks mounted within the groove between each pair of blades engagmg the opposing faces of the blade shanks to retam them within the .groove, and a mass of cast metal within each blade, substantially as described.

2. A turbine, having, in combination, a blade support provided with a dove-tailed groove, hollow blades having their shanks spread to fit the dove-tailed groove, a spacing block between each pair of blades-fitting the groove and the opposing'faces of the blade shanks, and a mass of cast metal within each blade shank, substantially as described. I

3. A turbine, having},

I 'in'combination, a blade support provide with a dove-tailed v y w 1 gr0ove,'ho110w blades havlng then shanks In testlmony whereof we afl'lx our s1gnaspread to fit the sldes of the groove and en-- tnres, 1n presonvc of two \ntnossos.

block mounted Vlthln the groom bchwon GUY B COLTIFR '5 each pan of blades fittlng tho groove and J 1 the opposmg faces of the blade shanks, and I \VIUKSSCSI n a mass of cast metal \vlthm ouch blade, sub; \VARREN G. OGDEN, a

stancmlly as dosvrlPed. N. D. Mcllum. 

